# Use Kimi K2.6 and K3 through an OpenAI-compatible API: curl, the OpenAI SDK, Cline and Aider

Adapted from our CloudGPU blog post on Kimi K2.

If a tool already speaks the OpenAI-compatible chat format, switching it to Kimi comes down to three values: the base URL, the API key and the model ID. This post shows those values on the CloudGPU gateway, then the same setup in curl, the `openai` Python package, Cline and Aider.

Disclosure: I work on CloudGPU.

## The three values

| Setting | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Base URL | `https://cloudgpu.app/v1` |
| API key | a `cgw-sk-...` key from the API console, kept in `$CGW_API_KEY` |
| Model ID | `kimi-k2.6` or `kimi-k3` |

Both IDs are in the model table on the live API page (checked 2026-10-27), which also lists `kimi-k2.5`. The original post suggests `kimi-k2.6` for everyday coding agents and `kimi-k3` for harder reasoning tasks.

A team test on 2026-10-26 with an internal key found both IDs in `/v1/models`, a working chat request, and a single tool call (the `tools` parameter, returning `tool_calls`) for each.

## Step 1: Get a key

1. Sign up at cloudgpu.app with an email address or a Google account.
2. Top up the prepaid balance. Payment options are card or USDT.
3. In the API console, create a key. It starts with `cgw-sk-` and is shown only once, so copy it straight away.
4. Keep it in an environment variable:

```bash
export CGW_API_KEY="cgw-sk-..."
```

The same balance pays for the API per token and for rented GPUs by the minute.

## Step 2: Check the key with curl

```bash
curl https://cloudgpu.app/v1/chat/completions \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $CGW_API_KEY" \
  -d '{
    "model": "kimi-k2.6",
    "messages": [{"role": "user", "content": "Refactor this function to use early returns."}]
  }'
```

If something is off, the error codes from the API docs tell you what:

- `401 missing_authorization`: no `Authorization` header was sent.
- `401 invalid_api_key`: the key is unknown or revoked.
- `400 model_not_found`: the model ID is not in the catalog. Copy it from the model table.
- `429 rate_limit_exceeded`: you hit the per-minute or per-day limit. The public beta defaults are 100 requests per minute per key and 10,000 requests per day per account.

## Step 3: The OpenAI Python SDK

Only `base_url` and `api_key` change:

```python
import os
from openai import OpenAI

client = OpenAI(
    base_url="https://cloudgpu.app/v1",
    api_key=os.environ["CGW_API_KEY"],
)

resp = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="kimi-k3",
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Explain this stack trace in two sentences."}],
    max_tokens=2048,
)
print(resp.choices[0].message.content)
```

For streaming, pass `stream=True`. The API docs say the response is Server-Sent Events in OpenAI format and the SDK handles it for you.

If a reply comes back empty with `finish_reason` set to `"length"`, the model ran out of output budget. Raise `max_tokens` and try again.

## Step 4: Cline

According to the official Cline docs ("OpenAI Compatible" provider page, read 2026-10-27), the settings are in the Cline settings panel (the gear icon):

1. API Provider: select "OpenAI Compatible".
2. Base URL: `https://cloudgpu.app/v1`
3. API Key: your `cgw-sk-...` key.
4. Model: enter `kimi-k2.6` (or `kimi-k3`).

The same docs list the usual fixes: "Invalid API Key" means the key or provider is wrong, and "Model Not Found" means the model ID isn't available at that base URL.

## Step 5: Aider

According to the official Aider docs ("OpenAI compatible APIs", read 2026-10-27), set two environment variables and prefix the model name with `openai/`:

```bash
export OPENAI_API_BASE=https://cloudgpu.app/v1
export OPENAI_API_KEY=$CGW_API_KEY

aider --model openai/kimi-k2.6
```

On Windows the docs use `setx OPENAI_API_BASE ...` and `setx OPENAI_API_KEY ...`, then restart the shell.

## What the gateway does and doesn't do

It speaks the OpenAI chat-completions format, streams tokens, and bills per token from a prepaid balance with no subscription. It doesn't store your prompts or train on them, and there is no automatic failover. Per-token rates for every model are listed on the API page and can change, so this post doesn't repeat them.

Model IDs, rates and the full docs: [cloudgpu.app/api](https://cloudgpu.app/api?utm_source=hashnode&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=202611_seg04_codingagent&utm_content=hashnode_kimi_api)

## FAQ

**Which base URL do I use?**`https://cloudgpu.app/v1` for any OpenAI-compatible client.

**Which model ID should I start with?** The original post suggests `kimi-k2.6` for everyday coding agents and `kimi-k3` for harder reasoning. Both are in the live model table.

**Does it work with the OpenAI SDK?** Yes. Set `base_url` to `https://cloudgpu.app/v1` and pass your `cgw-sk-` key as `api_key`.

**How do I pay?** From a prepaid balance, topped up by card or USDT.